The 'Batman Begins' director - who is producing the upcoming 'Superman' remake alongside his brother Jonah Nolan and David S. Goyer - revealed he aspires to achieve the same success as filmmaker Richard Donner did in the very first adaptation of the comic book story.

He said: "I was hugely struck by the Donner films in the '70s when I was a kid. In 1978 I saw 'Superman' and it had such an epic scope to it. It took on this incredible, iconic figure and gave that iconic figure an appropriate framing.

"It made quite an impression on me. It's definitely one of my childhood touchstones on what epic cinema can be."

The filmmaker - who won the Empire Best Director award for 'The Dark Knight' in 2008 - admitted casting has not yet been considered for the 'Superman' remake as he is still working on a storyline.

He explained to MTV News: "I haven't even thought about it, to be honest. All of these things, whether you're doing a 'Batman' or 'Superman' film, it's all about the story first.

"It's all about figuring out exactly the tone and the meaning of the story and how you're going to approach it. Casting comes later."

Meanwhile, Christopher revealed the third 'Batman' film - which will be a follow-up to 'The Dark Knight' - is hoped to hit screens in 2012.

He said: "We know we're aiming for 2012. That's been talked about. We're just working on The Script, really.

"My brother Jonah has been hard at work on it for quite some time. It's based on a story that myself and David Goyer have written."